Everything About the 'Donald Trump's Lawyer Paid Stormy Daniels $130,000 of His Own Money' Story Stinks – Here's Why

Michael Cohen Does Not Say He Wasn't Compensated in Any Way, and Why Make the Admission Now?

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The New York Times Tuesday night published a bombshell: Donald Trump's longtime personal attorney Michael Cohen admitted he paid adult film actress Stormy Daniels $130,000 of his own money just weeks before the 2016 election.

Everything about the story stinks.

“Neither the Trump Organization nor the Trump campaign was a party to the transaction with Ms. Clifford, and neither reimbursed me for the payment, either directly or indirectly,” Cohen told The Times in a carefully-crafted statement. Stormy Daniels is the stage name of Stephanie Clifford. “The payment to Ms. Clifford was lawful, and was not a campaign contribution or a campaign expenditure by anyone.”

His statement does not say if Donald Trump reimbursed him, or compensated him in any manner. Did he get a raise? A bonus? A house? His statement does not say if a Trump family member reimbursed him, or compensated him in any manner.

His statement does not say, and he refused to answer, if Donald Trump knew about the payment, or if he has made similar transactions before.

Perhaps most importantly, his statement does not say why he paid Stormy Daniels $130,000.

Trump denies having an affair with Daniels in 2006, months after his youngest son was born to his wife Melania.

What also stinks is the timing of the revelation: During one of the biggest scandals to plague the Trump administration to date, this news, perhaps designed to distract, comes out.

But what's very important and separated from some of the salacious headlines is that this is a matter for the Federal Election Commission.

The former director of the Office of Government Ethics, Walter Shaub, offered this sarcastic response to the news (which he appears to have later deleted):

Trump's lawyer says he paid $130k out of his own pocket to silence Stormy Daniels right before the election - and refuses to answer follow-up questions - but it super definitely wasn't an excess, in-kind campaign contribution. Well if he says so, okeedokee https://t.co/LfaohsVx1v

BREAKING: Trump's personal lawyer says he paid porn star Stormy Daniels $130K out of his own pocket, the New York Times reports.@Lawrence and @Maddow react to the latest chapter in this bizarre scandal, including why the FEC must investigate. #LastWordpic.twitter.com/z79invYDmi